Under the Rain, On the Roof

Last Sunday noon I experienced my first "heavy" rain for this year's rainy season.

I spent it on our roof declogging a drainage line. Water was seeping through our kitchen walls and I volunteered to check the roof drainage.

As I climbed the wooden ladder that I braced against a wall, I got an excited feeling that I haven't felt in a long time.

It's the feeling of being able to do about one's business carefree in the rain.

There I was, humming the battle theme of Gundam Seed while removing dead leaves from our rain gutter. I didn't had a raincoat on --- just a shirt, shorts and slippers. Even when the rain kept on pouring, I didn't mind it one bit.

I was at peace. Man, I haven't felt that in a long time.

Another great feeling: even though it was cold working in the rain, I felt warm inside.

Next time it rains heavily (as long as there's no lightning storm) and I'm indoors bumming around, I think I'll go outside and soak myself under the rain.

Iconism and Batman Begins

Okay, okay, I'll admit it. I'm writing this blog entry because I'm all excited on the upcoming movie "Batman Begins."

Batman has been my "superhero" icon ever since I learned how to read and raid my eldest brother's comic book collection. Why? Because he's 100% human. No mutant enhancements, no cosmic ray endowment, no alien technology, no paranormal abilities. His status is, let's say, realistic and attainable enough now.

Batman was such an icon to me that at the age of 5, I had my own Batman costume (I pestered my uncle to buy me one from Canada hahahaha).

All Bruce Wayne has is his body and mind to work with. And of course a motivation to excel and be an expert in his chosen craft (that's where the death of his parents come in). Bruce Wayne didn't become Batman overnight --- he spent a good number of years training for it. It's NOT common knowledge for the average fan to know how and where and with whom Bruce Wayne spent those years in his transformation to becoming The Batman.

But I'm not your average fan.

And that's why I am so excited for "Batman Begins".

Because from the moment I saw the title, I knew that this will be the story of Bruce Wayne's hidden years.

Because from the moment I saw the 30 second trailer, I knew that Ra's Al Ghul will be the primary villain. Did you know that Ra's Al Ghul admires Batman's mental capability so much that he fondly calls him "The Detective"? And it is only Ra's Al Ghul who knows that Batman and Bruce Wayne are one and the same, yet he doesn't attack Bruce Wayne but fights against only the Batman?

My favorite Batman comic book happens to have Ra's Al Ghul as the featured villain. The fights are the same. It's the mental-political dialogue between the two. You see, both of them have sharp minds. What do you expect? Batman was an excellent student (hint).

I hated the other Batman movies for two things: [1] the choice for villains (both the actor and the character, with the exception of Danny de Vito as The Penguin) did not agree well with me and [2] the portrayal of Batman was too "glittery" --- the previous Batmans were not cold or dark enough.

I hope this one turns out to be finally good.

I wonder if I can still find my old Batman costume. If I do so, all I need now is Bruce Wayne's playboy demeanor and oodles of cash so I can live my fantasy. Hahahaha!

+ Gay Whales and Lesbian Frogs

Two jokes:

One: How do you know if a whale is bading?
............ it bites the tip of the submarine and sucks out all the seamen!

Two: What did the lesbian palaka say to the other lesbian palaka?
............ "you know what, we really do taste like chicken!"

Harharharharhar... I have a shallow sense of humor. :D

Pre-occupations

What's on my mind recently?

1. Doing two consecutive laps on wall 3 at Power-up.
2. Weight/mass gain.
3. Finishing Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory on my PS2.
4. Finishing the scope and cost estimate for the Fuel Oil Export Pump project by this week.
5. Deciding on whether to bum at Batangas or Manila over the weekend.
6. Why I don't have telekinesis.
7. Getting those Phuket pictures printed and organized in an album.
8. Whether to buy a new airsoft gun or an IPod mini.
9. What I would do for the country if I were president. Set up a dictatorship!
10. Why people change.

The Alchemist's Interpretation on my Midday Nightmare

ALCHEMIST is my co-moderator at the Dream Section discussion board of Team Zero (a bunch of great guys and girl whom I play airsoft with occasionally). Both of us have interests in dream interpretation and occult knowledge.

Following is her interpretation on my Nightmare entry two topics below. She was able to rationalize my nightmare, as opposed to my knee-jerk reaction of thinking that it was a supernatural/paranormal omen. Ahihihihi...

Ma'am A, consider this as a testimonial to your talent! Thanks again!

-----------------------------------

Basically, to start with..two interpretations..

first, the teen girl waving at you from a distance could represent a connection with your innocent and childlke nature that could probably be asking to be acknowledged.

or, when related to other symbols in your dream, such as the forest village and treehouses, is telling you about an unresolved issue from your childhood that has somehow shown you certain harsh realities of life at quite an early age. nevertheless, there is a part of you right now in your waking life, that is longing for the past. this is symbolized by the children in your dream, as well as the characters from your childhood nightmares.

a sum of all your fears...

1. costumes in dreams could represent a facade that others have shown you,

2. fangs are hurtful words spoken towards you or at an extreme..a scandal,

3. an ax in a dream serves as an outlet for hostilities that are safer expressed in dreams,

4. rust and blood on the shirts could represent false friends as well as past misbehaviour coming to haunt you.

and more fears...

1. darkness and shadow, fear of the unknown or the inablity to make decisions with insufficient information.

2. halloween, fear of death

3. vampire, someone in your life who has charmed you in some way but may prove to be harmful.

now, the good part..the sage represents the wise man in you where he disproves all the above fears. he tells you also..by letting you experince your own death, to brace yourself for big changes ahead. therefore tells you to leave behind your hurt in the past. the massive tree branches represent your present life where you can fulfill dreams set aside. it tells you to go back to the roots and trace from your childhood what you have always wanted to fulfill, that somehow was set aside because of what you are occupied with at the moment. dreaming of children is also interpreted in the same manner.

WAP Blog

Stupid me. I forgot that my badminton group is meeting to play at 630 and here I am at the courts at 530 pm. Boooorreeedom. Aaargs.

Haaachoooo!!!

Drat, I had my worst sneezing bout early this morning. It went non-stop for about 15 minutes when I woke up at 6:30, then resumed a few minutes later. This went on until past eight.

I spent the whole morning at bed.

I've consumed two rolls of tissue paper, 2 cans of juice, 1 liter of water, 2 doses of Decolgen, and must have produced enough decibels from the sneezing to power the TV, Playstation and airconditioning.

And I've got a major headache. If I sneezed some more, I'm afraid that I may have blown my head off.

Body temperature's okay, but I'm still experiencing body chills now and then.

Thank goodness it's Friday. I'll be able to rest a bit, and hopefully be fully recovered after the weekend.

++ A Mindwreck's Noon Nightmare

Yesterday noon, I had a surreal dream and possibly an out-of-body experience.

For four days I’ve been experiencing body chills occasionally, a prelude to a flu attack. At lunch hour I’d travel back to my apartment and sneak under the comforter to rest my body and give my immune system a better chance at keeping the flu symptoms at bay. I would doze off for about 45 minutes, just enough rest to sustain myself until five pm when my workday officially ends.

I dreamed that I was walking along a golf course. It was high noon, and I was in my workclothes.

A teen girl was waving at me from a distance, trying to catch my attention.

Eventually, I was at her location. She gestured towards her side. My eyes looked at the direction to which she is pointing. A forest village. Several treehouses resting on massive tree branches. But the forest had a dark shadow to it. It wasn’t a bright, lush forest. It looked like a somber one.

“Follow me,” the girl’s eyes told me.

Mesmerized by the forest village, I followed the girl to the biggest treehouse. While walking down the path to the treehouse, I noticed several village children scampering about carrying macabre costumes and props. I saw a child lug an ax. A boy no older than ten was lifting a bundle of clothes stained with rust and blood. I saw a girl tossing a pair of dentures with hideous fangs as she skipped down the path. “There’s a special event later,” said the girl. “Something similar to your Halloween. The children dress up in clothes.”

“You mean costumes?”

“No, I meant clothes. Those things you saw were the actual items used by the person they took it from.”

“Explain.”

“You saw the child with the axe? That axe belonged to an axe murderer. Those teeth with fangs? It belonged to a vampire.”

We eventually arrived at the treehouse. Inside was an old man. “A sage,” I thought.

“How would you like to experience death?” the old man asked me.

“As long as I am able to come back to life I have nothing against your proposal,” I answered.

“Good. We are right in choosing you. Take off your shoes and your shirt, and lie down.”

I did as the old man said. I took off my shoes and my shirt. Then I lay down on a mat. The old man knelt beside me. He placed dabs of cream on my fingertips and toes. And then he chanted.

The girl who escorted me also placed some cream on her hands.

“Are you ready?” the old man asked me.

“Yes I am.”

“Then it shall be done.”

The old man placed his palms on my chest. I felt my breathe leaving my body. I felt the cream at my fingertips and toes hardening like cement. I felt light-headed all of a sudden, and then I was calm.

All ambient noise was immediately gone. I could not hear anything. My eyes were still open, but I could not blink nor move my eyeball. I could see the old man and the girl talking above me. I could see the roof of his treehouse. I could see the kids gathered around me, dressed up in their halloween costumes. And that’s when I panicked.

The kids were dressed up as characters from my childhood nightmares. One was dressed as the Lord of the Vampires. Another was dressed as The Axe Serial Killer. Another dressed like Freddie Krueger. A small female child came as the Singing Witch.

I tried to stand up, but I could not move. And I realized that I was not breathing. But I felt that there was still a little breath inside of me.

Then the girl pressed her palm on my chest, and the last of my breath escaped from my body.

Immediately after that my point of view changed. My view was now from the window outside the old man’s treehouse looking in. There I could see my body lying down on a mat, the old man and the girl and the horror kids standing around me.

I tried to scream, and found out that I can pass through the walls easily. I made a dive for my body to protect it.

And that’s when I woke up.

My breathing was very shallow, and my pulse rate was very low.

Scary, isn’t it?

I still don’t know what it means.

+ Random Thoughts on my Vacation

"The first thing that I did when I got home after an 8-day vacation abroad was get a one-hour nap followed by a very hearty dinner of pork sinigang."

"Huh? Where did I went on vacation?"

"Singapore, Phuket and Bangkok. Yep, went to all those places in eight days."

"So was it good?"

"Good? Hell, it wasn't good. It was GREAT!"

"Sige nga, kwento ka!"

----------------------

The PLANE RIDE. Trying the budget airline TIGER AIRWAYS for the first time, we departed from Clark International Airport to Changi International Airport in Singapore. The same airline will eventually take us to Phuket, then from Bangkok back to Singapore and finally back in Clark this afternoon.

TIGER AIRWAYS wasn't bad. The planes are brand new A-320s. You can actually smell the newness of the aircraft. Everything is spic and span. The flight attendants were pleasing and charming. But being a budget airline, there were no in-flight entertainment (not even cabin music) nor food. If you get thirsty or hungry, you can BUY it onboard the flight at ridiculous prices. Like a small styro cup of coffee costs 4 SGD (that's about 120 pesos for hot water, a styro cup, and a 3-in-1 sachet) and a can of coke costs 5 SGD. But since the flights were all less than 3 hours, the no-entertainment and no-food/drinks conditions make the flight bearable.

Oh, and another thing: there's no seat assignment for the budget airline. Seats are first-come-first-served, or if you're a true PINOY, you'd reserve seats for all your friends/relatives travelling with you.

Corny Mushy Tidbit

Overheard this exchange of words at a party I attended two weeks ago between a guy and a girl. Girl's about to leave the bar.

Guy: Favor?
Girl: Yes...?
Guy: Take care.

I swear I would have seen a smiley pasted on the guy's face if it wasn't so dim at the bar.

A corny, mushy tidbit. Hahaha.

+ Commendations for my 26th

A couple of days ago I turned 26 years old, but I only realized it now. Hey, I'm not suffering from oldienitis where old people tend to forget their age. I know I am twenty six years old, but I don't feel like it yet. I feel like... twenty two years old hahaha.

So what it is I do that makes me feel four years younger?

Well, it's no secret. I eat healthily. I exercise regularly. I play a lot. I read a lot. I love to travel. I pray. I mingle.

Commendations are due to the following:

My mom and dad, who have been very tolerant and supportive of me: my 9 a.m. daily phone calls just to catch up on the latest news with my family and relatives, my 2 a.m. arrivals after partying almost every weekend, providing me with groceries and lutong-bahay so I won't develop cancer from eating take-out food the whole work-week. Thanks mom/pops.

My kuya Ricky, who's currently based on Jersey, for providing me the replies to tell my parents and siblings whenever there's a family conflict that I need to mediate.

My ate-doktora-Chichay, for giving me the necessary advice for all of my medical predicaments in the last two years, no matter how odd the hour is.

Quito, party dude and bestfriend, and his mom Mrs S, for treating me as part of their family and giving me the necessary occasional reality check. And of course for the late night outs, drinking sessions and parties.

Maqui, my favorite godson, dealing me the necessary dose of innocent happiness (mababaw na kaligayan hahaha).

Marijo, Tintin and Chard, my Manila partners-in-crime, for the shopping trips, gimik plans, weeklong vacations, photo-ops, late-night coffee, and sharing their romance problems with me (always makes for an interesting discussion over coffee).

John, for his tireless attempts to invite me to join our college gang, despite the fact that my schedule's a bit tight, and also his tireless attempt to set-me up with his friends (sablay lang talaga mag-set-up 'tong kaibigan kong 'to) and labelling me as the most eligible bachelor in our group. And also for the frequent tips on what's the latest and hottest game for the PS2 and making the necessary game copy reservation at the retailer.

My airsoft friends for welcoming me in the airsoft community: Jayjay, RG, Papa Gabs, Alex and Roroy (Team RBG), Sid (Team SOE), Mad, Rhichie, Bettina, Nikko, Tin (TMS), the whole of Batangas Airsoft (BATAS) and Mark, Glenn, Jack (Team Zero). Playing with you guys and girls has really been fun.

Again, Mad and Chie for the power-up nights. Wall climbing is my new addiction.

Kaye and Glenn, my buddies at work, for making the exile at our workplace more bearable. Hahahaha... Kaye for my fitness aspect (badminton, yoga, swimming, balanced eating) and Glenn for the passive activities (smoking, drinking, video games, movies).

Chito, for the badminton training, particularly my backhand. From class D to class B/C player, thanks to you.

Ube for the sisterly advice throughout of 2004, even if we were continents apart hahaha.

Hannah, Pin and Carmi, my inspirations in the last two years. =) And Carissa. Sayang talaga... ohwell. Na-torpe kasi ako dati.

Pao and Weng, distant cousin and high school friends, for keeping me in the loop on the wherabouts and what's-up with our high school batch.

Hideo Kojima, for developing and producing Metal Gear Solid 3... the most fantastic game I have ever played in my entire life. Ahihihihihi...

My black and white dwarves. =)

and of course, the Eternal Supreme Being, for giving me the free will to live my life as I see it.

Hope everyone of you will still be with me in the next 364 days.

Friends

My best friend is currently on a 3-month long business trip to Singapore and Hongkong.

My favorite lady-friend is currently in Singapore on vacation with her family.

My next favorite lady-friend is on a tour of Europe.

My preferred video game buddy is on a diving tour in some exotic Pacific island whose name I can't recall.

My first ex-girlfriend, who just got back from Australia, is in Davao tending to her father's business.

My favorite comic-punchline kind of friend is currently addicted over photography, and he's been taking photography lessons. He's currently busy with his new hobby and is unreachable at the moment.

My airsoft friends can only play Saturdays, while I can only play on Sundays.

My male officemate-slash-friend has been a bit anti-social recently, and I'm not really sure why and how long he'll be like that.

My female officemate-slash-friend is currently enjoying the sea, sand and sun of the glorious beaches of Boracay.

Drat... it's getting a bit lonely suddenly. Good thing my PS2 can keep me company anytime. Can't wait for everybody to get back.